•Packed up: This time of year, there's a simple credo for Ball State's players: pack for the long trip. They left for Bowling Green on Sunday with plans to not come back. They'd need an upset win in the MAC tournament opener to turn the bus toward Cleveland.

Once there, they're packed to stay through Saturday's title game, even as a 12 seed. In the words of senior Matt Kamieniecki, "If anyone on the team is thinking they're packing their bags for one night, they shouldn't really be here."

•Centerpoint: Ball State's fate could well rest on the status of Falcons center Richaun Holmes. He is questionable with a head injury suffered against Buffalo, and Cardinals coach James Whitford said he looked shaken up against the Bulls.

The lanky Holmes has a case as the top player in the Mid-American Conference as a mobile defensive terror who does more than enough on offense. When he played in Munice, he posted an unreal day with 29 points on only 13 shots and added four assists. That said, the Falcons only lost by two without him for all but 13 minutes against a powerful Buffalo team, despite being undersized.

•Fancy seeing you again: The Cardinals and Falcons have more than a passing bit of familiarity. After two meetings in the regular season, both teams know each other's tendencies so well, coaching and preparation take on almost a granular nature.

The Cardinals know these Falcons are one of the best defenses in the country, attacking and relying on Holmes' mobility. Guards such as Jehvon Clarke and Zack Denny play bigger than their size, and the rest of the roster has a range of nice pieces that took turns causing issues in the first two games.

The question remains, what changes does each side make and how well do they work?

•Quote to note:

"I wanted to play them one more time. That's the team that I was confident we could beat. We slipped up both times, but I was happy when we got that draw. I feel like we match up with them pretty well and I don't feel like they're better than us, but we'll see on Monday."